


Operation Aquarius: Cake for Gina

by junetree74



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV), swan queen - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Birthday, Birthday Cake, Birthday Fluff, Birthday Party, Budding Love, F/F, Swan-Mills Family (Once Upon a Time), Swan-Mills Family Fluff (Once Upon a Time)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-01
Updated: 2021-02-01
Packaged: 2021-03-12 21:47:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,871
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29142468
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/junetree74/pseuds/junetree74
Summary: Swan-Queen Family. Set in S2E8/9. The "Welcome Back Snow and Emma" party is the same day as Regina Mills' birthday. Henry wants to combine the two and surprise his mother Regina, and have the towns people acknowledge his mother has changed. He convinces his mom, Emma, to help him–thus, Operation Aquarius is born. But Emma cues in that people will not welcome Regina. She is determined to help Henry honor his mom, and finds that she and Regina are capable of getting closer too.
Relationships: Evil Queen | Regina Mills & Emma Swan, Evil Queen | Regina Mills & Henry Mills, Evil Queen | Regina Mills/Emma Swan, Henry Mills & Emma Swan, swan-mills family - Relationship
Comments: 7
Kudos: 67





	Operation Aquarius: Cake for Gina

**Author's Note:**

> For Regina Mills on her birthday, February 1. 
> 
> Thank you for reading. Hope you enjoy.

“Come on, kid, you’ve got to be kidding?” Emma told Henry as they walked to his school bus stop.

“No, it will work, I know it! I need your help,” Henry pleaded. 

Emma hesitated as she tilted her head and gave Henry one last pleading look of “don’t make me” but she sighed and said, “Ok, I’ll help you surprise Regina and make her a cake.” 

“Woohoo! This can be Operation Aquarius.”

“Why Aquarius?” Emma asked.

“Because that is mom’s Zodiac Sign.”

“Of course you believe in that too…” Emma huffed.

“Hey, it’s sometimes a very helpful way to size up someone new, or at least have confidence in a date.”

“You are such a strange kid sometimes.” 

“Not much to do in this town but read. You and mom’s signs match.”

Emma stopped in her tracks. “Why would I, why would you…It’s not like that with us…” Emma suddenly felt very exposed.

“I dunno, that's just what astrologers say.”

Emma didn’t want to continue this conversation. She nodded. “Ok, I believe you.”

Henry smiled at her. His joy meant everything to her; enough to help him surprise Regina. But something told her that Regina was not the surprise type. And she couldn't imagine it going over well at the "Welcome Back" party planned at Granny's Friday night. It was just cake, but still...

Emma said, “Let me call Regina up and invite her to the party on Friday.”

“I can ask her,” Henry said. “She won’t tell me no.” 

“I know kid, but you haven’t seen her for a few days. I don’t want her to think you were calling for her birthday, and then it’s just to invite her to her other mother’s party.”

Henry understood. He got excited thinking about how surprised she was going to be. He was so happy that she proved how she was changing. She put herself in harm's way to save his grandma, her life-rival, and Emma, the other mother. That was so selfless of her. As of late, he gave her tough love; he learned that from her, of course, but it paid off. He wanted everyone in town to see the new person she had become. 

\----

Emma had been thinking about the day Regina saved them. She saved them. She was filled with an overwhelming sense of gratitude towards Regina. Having Regina at the party was the right thing to do.

Regina hesitated on accepting the invitation, but Emma assured Regina that as HER guest, she would make certain she was not unwelcomed. Yes, maybe there would be a little discomfort, but Emma was going to make it work. Eventually, Regina said she would be there, and since it was a potluck, she would make a lasagna. Emma told her she couldn’t wait to “taste her dish.” Regina made a smug little laugh, and then said without disdain, “Goodbye, Ms. Swan.” 

Emma was left blushing. “Couldn’t wait to taste her dish.” Regina was laughing at her. 

\-----

Friday morning, Henry and Emma went shopping for the food they were going to make for the party, and ingredients for a cake. Henry just wanted to make a box cake, but Emma had researched on YouTube how to make a cake from scratch along with the frosting. Henry whined that he liked store bought frosting, but she asked him to trust her–from scratch was better and much more special. And didn’t his mom deserve the best? 

When they got to Snow and David's, Emma wished that they were able to do all of this as Regina’s, because not only did they walk-in on her parents having sex (luckily Henry didn’t have her superpower to detect their lies that they were “just napping” in the middle of the day), but Snow kept interfering with cooking. Emma wanted to do this with Henry only, and she had a hard time telling her mother no without hurting her feelings. However, she did have to put her foot down when Snow started expressing distaste for wanting to make Regina a cake and celebrate her birthday, and “change.”

“I’m not saying that you shouldn’t do something special for Regina, but don’t you think this is a little much?”

“Why do you keep saying things like that Mary Margaret?” Henry finally asked.

“It’s grandma, Henry, please,” Snow said.

“Sorry, yes, grandma. I always celebrate mom’s birthday, and this one is special. She saved you and she has changed,” Henry said.

Snow grimaced. “Yes, well. I’m just saying…”

Emma looked at Snow, “Perhaps you should go get ready or do something else. You are so green, I’m afraid it might tint the cake.” 

Snow’s mouth dropped. “David! Did you hear what your daughter just accused me of?” 

David finally spoke up. “You are laying things on thick, come on, let’s get ready, let them have their bonding time.” He went over to her and pulled her by the hand. 

Snow looked at him and pouted, saying softly, “Where is my bonding time…”

Emma heard, but she tried hard not to roll her eyes, or be a smart ass back.

\------

Nearly everyone was at the diner, but Regina had not arrived. Henry was anxiously watching the door. Emma was anxiously watching Henry. She felt for him and didn't want him to be disappointed if Regina changed her mind. But if Emma was honest with herself, she too waited with bated breath at Regina's arrival.

Regina came. When she opened the door, everyone in the diner froze and stared at her. The room went quiet. 

Regina tried to put on a good face. “Sorry, I’m late.” She gave a “I’m sorry” smile, then waited for a reaction. She thought what she said was funny because she had said it to this crowd before, albeit under very different circumstances. 

Grumpy said out loud, “What is SHE doing here?!” The rest of the dwarves started to grumble. 

Granny started to walk towards the door, but Emma intercepted her. “I invited her!” Emma went to Regina as soon as the smile started to fall from her face. She took the casserole dish in her hands and said brightly, “You made it!” She gave Regina the biggest smile.

When Regina met her eyes, the smile came back and she replied, “Thank you. You don’t have to take it.”

“No, it’s ok. There is a spot over here I can put it down on. It smells so incredible!”

“It’s Henry’s favorite.” 

“MOM!” Henry ran up to Regina and hugged her. “You’re here. I’ve been waiting.” 

Regina hugged her son tightly. “I’m glad to be here with you.” 

“Emma!” Snow whispered loudly across the room. 

Emma whipped her head around and gave her mom a dirty look. She then turned around to Regina and Henry. “Hold on a minute. Be right back.”

She rushed over to Snow and David. “What?” She snapped, irritated.

“She has changed the feeling of this party. I don’t like it.” 

“You knew she was coming. It would be important to show her some acceptance, maybe that would change the feel.”

Snow was about to protest, but David stopped her. “Your mother has a right to her own opinions.”

“Opinions that are not based in fact...Regina is changing. I don’t care about the past at this moment. The fact is she saved us, and we owe her out thanks, today. This party should be about her.”

“She tried to kill us at the well.”

“No she didn’t…” Emma, frustrated, huffs. “This is important to Henry. He was there. He saw her save us. I already spent enough time not believing in my son, I am not going to doubt him now. Second chances, right?” Emma looked at Snow and David. They said nothing. She walked away. 

Emma started to wonder if getting anyone here to celebrate Regina’s birthday would happen. 

Although people did not seem keen on having Regina there, the dwarves couldn’t help their stomachs and were curious at what smelled so good. They had their plates waiting because Regina was about to serve them.

Emma hung back and waited her turn with a plate. When she approached, she said, “I hope there’s some left. Dwarves sure have an appetite!”

Regina gave a genuine laugh. “I think I can scrape up something in the dish. If you like it, then I can always make another and have you over for dinner.” Regina looked up quickly at Emma. She stunned herself at the ease in which she made that invitation.

Emma was taken back at the invite. “I would love that. Do you have a plate? We can sit in that booth over there.” 

Regina had a plate. Emma saw Henry and called him over, and the three of them sat in the booth and ate together. All three of them fell into this natural ease of being with each other that made it feel as though they had always been this way, always had been a family. 

After a while, Henry excused himself to go to the bathroom. Emma and Regina both looked at each other as if they didn’t know what to do with each other without Henry. But Regina eventually leaned forward on the table. She sensed something different in Emma and could smell it too–cinnamon. It was almost magical. 

“Ms. Swan, have you been hitting the hot cocoa hard lately? You reek of cinnamon…”

Emma laughed nervously, shifted in her seat and looked down at her shirt. “I haven’t had one since I’ve been here tonight. Maybe I spilled one from earlier…” 

Regina inspected her shirt and clothes, but she was surprised that she started to feel like she was gazing at her with desire. She had not had anything to drink, but the draw to her was compelling, and the cinnamon scent became stronger. She shook her head and leaned back. Then she eyed something on Emma’s jacket. “What is that white stain below the lapel?” Regina pointed from a distance.

Emma took a look and realized that she had a frosting stain on her shirt. She then remembered that there was a surprise planned for Regina. However, with the way the crowd seemed to not want her at the party, her mother not helping, she wondered if this was a good idea. She looked around at everyone in the diner and realized they all had concerned looks on their faces at her. Ruby looked at her and mouthed “are you ok?” And made hand gestures suggesting did she need her to go rescue her? Her mother was still giving them looks. Granny didn’t look pleased, and that look was on a few more faces as well. Emma became filled with dread and guilt. If this didn’t go over well, she feared that it would hurt Regina. 

“Hey, Gina…” Emma said.

Regina raised her eyebrows at her, “Excuse me? Did you just call me Gina?” 

“Ahhh, I think I did…” Emma said, looking at Regina hesitantly. “Sorry, I don’t know why I called you that.” 

Regina struggled to not smile at the familiarness of the name. She liked it, but she hated that she liked it. “Yes, Ms. Swan, you wanted to tell me something?” 

“Yes. How are you on surprises?”

“They have happened my entire life.”

“Ok, but do you like them?”

“I don’t know who likes surprises, but they are a part of life.”

“Well, yes, I guess, but...what about in relation to your birthday?”

Regina leaned forward again and lowered her voice, “I have never had a surprise birthday, nor will I ever have one. My birthdays were always disasters growing up, nobody knows my birthday except for Henry, and now apparently you.” 

This told Emma everything that she needed to know. She had to come clean. “I see. Well, I will keep it that way, I promise. But don’t get upset...Henry wanted to surprise you here tonight with a birthday cake. He thought it was a nice way to celebrate how you have changed, and he sees you as the hero of this story. But he’s a kid and doesn’t know how to read the room...”

Regina’s face went through a mix of emotions. She quickly began to slide out of the booth. “Thank you for telling me this, but I am sorry, I cannot go through with that. I know Henry means well, but I have to go!” 

“No, Regina, wait…” Emma slid out of the booth, but Regina was already out the door. “Wait!” She cried out when she was outside. “I’ll tell Henry we have to skip it, but don’t go.”

Regina turned around, “Tell Henry it was a nice idea and for wanting me to be here tonight…”

“I invited you…”

Regina stammered. “Well, you called on his behalf…”

Emma shrugged. “I did, but we were in this together. I wanted you here just as much as him, and I did think the surprise was terrible, but I thought maybe it could work, maybe it was time for everyone to see how you saved me, Snow, and that you have changed.”

Regina didn’t know what to do with that information. Approval from Henry was all she was striving for or cared about. Hearing Emma’s words made her feel good, and she wasn’t sure she liked that. “Yes, well, maybe now that you think I am better, maybe you will allow my son to come to see me more often! His room is still there and I am still his mother. Perhaps tomorrow. I’ll expect a call. Good night, Ms. Swan.” Regina rushed away. 

Emma did not go after her. She went back into the diner. Snow was at the window. “I didn’t like that Regina raised her voice at you. What was that about?!” 

“Not now, Mary Margaret...Where is Henry?” 

“Near the jukebox with David,” Snow said, irritably. 

Emma went over and pulled Henry aside. “Hey, Operation Aquarius has been compromised.” 

“What? Where is mom?”

“She left...my fault. I compromised the mission.”

“WHY!?” Henry said, making his way to the front door. 

Emma grabbed him by the shoulder. “She already went home, kid. Look, I told her because as we were all sitting at the booth, people were making faces at us. They don’t accept her, and we can’t make them. I couldn’t stand to have her humiliated, so I told her of our plan, and well, it freaked her out and she left.” 

Henry started to tear up. “But I always have cake with my mom for her birthday…”

Emma kneeled. “No, no, none of that. These people don’t deserve to have cake with your mom. But you do. Let’s get the cake, and go to your mom’s, ok?”

“Now?” 

“Yes, now. And let’s slip out the back. Operation Aquarius back on!” 

Henry brightened back up and they slipped into the kitchen, got the cake, and left out the back. Emma was grateful that Snow didn’t see them.

\----

Regina took her time walking home. She went the long way, although the long way wasn’t any longer. It just was residential instead of the main streets, but a lot quieter and lonely. She felt bad leaving and not saying good-bye to Henry, but he would have insisted she stay, and she had a hard time telling him no. She wanted to believe as he believed, but the reception she had when she walked into the diner told her everything that she needed to know about how they all saw her. Henry wanted the best, she understood that. He was too young to understand that decades of pain and destruction just doesn’t disappear overnight. Her son was the Savior’s son. She shook her head. How ironic; the one living person she loved the most on this earth was a relation of her enemy. But Emma was so much like her son–naive and hopeful. Regina’s history was so complex with that family, that she wondered if it was a cruel joke, or was it her redemption? Emma had felt so different tonight, smelled different too. She was unclear if this was a change in herself projecting onto Emma, or was it coming from Emma?

When she arrived home and walked through the arched bushes to her walkway, two people were sitting on her porch. One stood up when they saw her. The other person sitting was holding what looked like a box with a candle on it. 

“Henry? Emma?” 

Emma took the cake from Henry’s lap. He stood up. “Ready, kid?” 

Henry nodded and began, “Happy birthday to you…”

Emma began to sing with him, “Happy birthday to you…”

“Happy birthday dear moooom…”

“Gina…” Emma sang, with a smile.

“Happy birthday to yoooou!” 

Regina stopped halfway up her driveway. Tears started to flow from her face. She tried to hold them back, but the events from the last week came crashing down on her and she couldn’t hold her emotions any longer. She began to sob. 

Henry had his house keys in his pocket. He opened the door for Emma and told her to take the cake into the kitchen. He then went up to his mother and hugged her by the waist.

“I love you, mom.”

Regina hugged him back and regained her composure. “I love you more than anything in this world. Thank you for believing in me.” 

Henry took her by the hand. “Can Emma stay for cake too?”

Regina wiped her tears, “I guess so. The secret is already out. She knows my birthday. Be rude to not let her have cake.”

Henry chuckled, “Yeah, you wouldn’t want to go back to being mean.”

Regina laughed at his cheekiness.

In the kitchen, Emma was switching out the candle. She looked up when she saw them come in. “Sorry, this one waxed all over the top. Getting you a fresh one to blow out and make a wish.” 

“That’s ok. I already have my wish right here,” Regina said as she looked at Henry. He looked up at her smiling. 

Emma looked at the two of them. How did she create Henry only to have him be the beloved son of her family’s enemy? This fairytale shit was confusing and stupid. But the love that came through Regina’s face whenever she looked at Henry was the purest thing in the world. She dreamed of having someone adopt her and love her so hard as Regina loved Henry. Emma became overwhelmed looking at them that she started to tear up. 

Regina snapped her head up to look at Emma because she felt her emotions. She had never felt so close to her before. Was it because she had been to the Enchanted Forest? What did she encounter? Regina fought the connection and walked over to Emma. She punched her shoulder. 

“Ow, what was that for?!” Emma exclaimed.

“I heard you. You called me Gina again.” 

Emma started to chuckle. “I like it. You like it.” 

Regina narrowed her eyes at her. She would be lying if she said she didn’t kind of like it. “Stop it. Or I will end you.” Regina stepped close into her space, trying to intimidate Emma. 

Emma wasn’t scared. She found herself turned on. She felt her nipples tighten and her center start to throb. She deeply inhaled as she held Regina’s gaze, daring Regina to back down. A bouquet of vanilla scent wafted through her nose. 

Regina suddenly felt aroused. She felt compelled to take her hip and pull her into her body. And she somehow knew Emma would like it. She bit the corner of her lip and felt her breath quicken. There was that cinnamon scent again. 

“OMG SERIOUSLY! Are you gonna start fighting? I want cake! Emma and I made it from scratch and I am dying to taste it!” Henry cried out. 

He broke their moment. They backed away from each other. 

“I’ll get the cake cutter,” Regina turned away.

“I’ll get plates…” Emma said. But she stood still, realizing she didn't’ know where plates were. She gave a wicked smile as she looked over at Regina. “Hey, Gina, where are the plates?” 

Regina snapped her head and narrowed her eyes at her. “They’re in this cabinet.” Regina pointed. She would have to get over Emma calling her that. The more she showed she disliked it, the more Emma would use it. She was a child. 

Regina took the first bite of the cake. It wasn’t very good, but she said nothing, nodding and humming. The frosting saved it, and fortunately, she gave herself extra frosting.

Henry and Emma took a bite together. Emma scrunched her face. Henry spit it out. “Ugh! Mom, don’t eat it. It’s horrible. You are faking you like it, but we didn’t succeed.” 

Regina swallowed what she had in her mouth. “The frosting is good!” 

Emma laughed. “Sorry. We tried…”

“What is important is you tried, and I appreciate the gesture. Nobody has ever tried to make me a cake before.”

“Me either! Kind why I thought it would be a good experiment,” Emma said.

“I promise to do better next time. I kinda liked baking,” Henry said. 

“How much time do you have right now? Wanna tell me what the recipe was, we can try to redo it right now? If you want…” Regina suggested. 

“Really?!” Henry exclaimed. He looked over at Emma. 

“I don’t mind. He can stay the night if he wants to...you know, how we talked about it earlier? Well, you told me, more like it,” Emma said to Regina.

Regina smiled, “Thank you. But I was also inviting you to stay and make the cake...if you want…”

Emma could see in Regina’s eyes that she wanted her to stay. Or maybe she felt it. Or maybe she was making it all up. If Regina asked she was going to take that as a genuine invite. “Yeah! I would love to!” Emma pulled out her phone. “So this is the recipe I got from YouTube…”

Regina stood next to Emma to look at her phone, “YouTube? You got a recipe from YouTube? No wonder…” 

“Mom, you have no idea how useful YouTube is! How do you think I found Emma?” 

They both looked at Henry. Then they both looked at each other and said at the same time, “He gets that from you.” Then they chuckled as Henry started to recount what they could have done wrong with the ingredients, completely oblivious to whatever it was that was making his mother’s feel closer. 

Henry made his way over to the pantry and started pulling ingredients. 

Regina told Emma, “If this goes on too long, or it gets too late…” Regina hesitated, but she finished her thought “...you are welcome to stay too. Guest bedroom is always ready.”

Emma was surprised by the invitation but found herself responding without hesitation, “I would like that.” 

The joy that crossed Regina’s face told the two of them that this new way of sharing their son was the best way of them all. 

“Happy birthday, Regina,” Emma said softly as she took Regina’s hand and squeezed it. 

Regina squeezed it back, giving Emma a shy smile. 


End file.
